New council artwork commemorates WW1 zeppelin bombing

19 October 2018

Southwark Council remembers the people who lost their lives during a First World War zeppelin bombing, in what is now Burgess Park. Cllr Rebecca Lury, Cabinet Member for culture, leisure, equalities and communities, joined the Friends of Burgess Park and artist, Sally Hogarth, to unveil Sally’s new artwork commemorating the event, 101 years to the day later.

On 17 October, 1917, a zeppelin bomb landed on Calmington Road (now part of Burgess Park) killing many local people and destroying much of their road.

Southwark Council worked with the Friends of Burgess Park and commissioned Sally Hogarth to produce and install a new artwork for Burgess Park, commemorating the people and places lost to the bombing.

Sally has created a work called Silent Raid, which comprises of ten houses of varying design, that can now be found located around the park. The closer each house is to the original zeppelin bomb site, the darker in colour it is, reflecting the way bomb damage was mapped. The houses can be found in seven sites at the northern end of the park, between Albany Road and the Lake.

The houses represent the people who are recorded to have died in the Calmington Road zeppelin bomb attack. The varying height of each house reflects the age and gender of each victim and every house features a quote relating to the event.

Cllr Rebecca Lury said: “Today we remember the lives, buildings and history of this vibrant, exciting and ever evolving area. We take a step closer to understanding the people and the landscape that came before todays’ Burgess Park, and recognise the terrible impact of the First World War on civilians, here in Southwark.

“I would like to thank Sally for her beautiful and thought provoking work and I look forward to joining the park’s many visitors, in appreciating it over the coming years.”

Sally said: “After spending time in the park itself, I came to appreciate that where the park stands today had once been covered by buildings and houses which were destroyed by war. The absence of their existence and public awareness of this in the present day, created a powerful feeling I wanted to convey in the work.”